Stressed-out parents tell of battle through ‘HELL’ to buy new school uniforms

Stressed-out parents have been stuck in eight-hour queues this week as they rushed to buy last-minute school uniforms ahead of the start of term.

Hundreds of shoppers flocked to outfitters across Britain in the early hours to avoid the huge wait times which stacked up as staff limited the number of customers allowed inside due to social distancing.

In Croydon, south London, frustrated parents arrived as early as 5.15am to purchase the required clothing for their children as residents insisted ‘we need more uniform shops.’

A sign outside Hewitts of Croydon, which provides uniforms for 80 schools, warned parents they would not be guaranteed entry to the store if they arrived after 3pm.

However, one furious parent urged the shop to ’employ more staff’ as she claimed people arriving at 10am were only entering the store at 3pm.  

Similar scenes were spotted in Eastleigh, Hampshire, where shoppers were seen lining up in heavy rain outside an outfitters last week.

And outside Stevensons in Southbourne, near Bournemouth, three-hour queues formed as desperate parents scrambled to secure the necessary items for their children. 

Another woman reported queues of up to eight hours outside her local uniform store, writing:  ‘There’s only one shop that sells school uniforms where we live.

‘There are presently eight-hour queues outside the door, and no ticket system. So if you queued all day and didn’t get in, you don’t get to be first in the queue the next day.

‘There are people who have queued for days.’  

In Croydon, customers to Hewitts reported lining up outside the store for the fourth day in a row after they were turned away from the shop when it closed at 5pm.

One woman, attempting to buy uniform for her 12-year-old daughter, told My London she had waited for more than three hours each time and spent £40 on parking.

But Martin Hewitt, who runs the retailer, said he and 35 staff members were working hard to meet the enormous demand. He added that only 10 customers were able to be in the shop at once instead of the usual 40. 

Staff are also not permitted to measure students for uniforms due to social distancing and any returned items have to be quarantined for 48 hours.

Neil Garratt, a Conservative London Assembly candidate for Croydon and Sutton, said he had seen similar queues outside Cladish Schoolwear in Wallington, London.

He said: ‘This is ridiculous. Schools that force parents to buy uniform from one single shop can’t wash their hands of this: they’ve created the problem, they need to stop up to find a solution.

‘This isn’t it.’

In Bournemouth, those outside Stevensons reported ‘tensions building’ as people rushed to get hold of uniforms and sportswear before the start of term.  

Natasha Sanders-Jones told the Bournemouth Echo she had been waiting to enter the store for two-and-a-half hours yesterday after driving to the retailer from Poole.

She said: ‘I had to drive here from Poole because this is the only place to get Poole High and Poole Grammar uniform.

‘By the time I get home I will have had a round trip of at least four hours just to get a few bits and pieces.’

Susan Elsworth added:  ‘We drove past the shop yesterday and saw a big queue so we thought we’d come back today but it’s just as bad.

‘Unfortunately we’ve got no choice because we need an Avonbourne uniform and this is the only place to get one.’

The store had been open for appointment-only customers until August 24, when it opened for walk-in shoppers. 

Lengthy queues were also rife in other parts of the UK, with dozens taking to social media to complain about the wait.

‘These festival length queues to buy school uniform is reason enough not to have children,’ one user said.

Another added: ‘My wife and youngest son have been queuing up for the past 30 minutes to buy his sixth form college uniform, still seven in front of them.

‘The blazer alone is £65, will it last till Christmas? (Not the blazer).’

Others were more prepared, with one mother explaining she had come prepared for the wait with a coffee and her Kindle.

Thousands of students are preparing to return to school next week – many for the first time since the coronavirus crisis closed classrooms in March.

Children must return for the autumn term unless they or a family member develop symptoms of Covid-19 or test positive for the virus.

Penalties could be issued for those who miss school without a reason, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson confirmed in June.

‘Unless there’s a good reason for absence… we’d be imposing fines on families,’ he said. 

It was reported on Tuesday that thousands of secondary pupils will have to wear masks at school in yet another education U-turn.

With just days to go before children return, Mr Williamson said face coverings will be compulsory in the communal areas of schools covered by local lockdowns.

A decision on whether to wear masks in other schools will be left to individual heads.

The eleventh-hour U-turn followed new advice from the World Health Organisation at the weekend.

He said: ‘Our priority is to get children back to school safely. At each stage we have listened to the latest medical and scientific advice.

‘We have therefore decided to follow the World Health Organisation’s new advice. In local lockdown areas children in year seven and above should wear face coverings in communal spaces.

‘Outside of local lockdown areas face coverings won’t be required in schools, though schools will have the flexibility to introduce measures if they believe it is right in their specific circumstances.

‘I hope these steps will provide parents, pupils and teachers with further reassurance.’

Best value school uniform revealed: Sainsbury’s comes out on top of a like-for-like comparison at £15 – while John Lewis is three times more expensive

Sainsbury’s has come out on top as the best British store to buy new school uniform, according to a new study.

Parents are able to purchase a new whole set of schooling attire for just £15 – £30 cheaper than John Lewis, which proved to be the most expensive in a comparison of seven British retailers.

Researchers at UK-based online price tracking firm Alertr compared prices of six uniform essentials – a shirt, polo shirt, jumper, cardigan, trousers and a skirt – across seven retailers, M&S, John Lewis, Asda, Next, Sainsbury’s, Matalan and Debenhams to determine which ones were offering the better deal. 

Some retailers had multi-pack options and the total number of items included within them was occasionally different (e.g. two pack in one retailer, but three pack in another).

In those instances, researchers divided the total price of the multipack by the number of items within it to reveal the price customers would pay per item, to ensure the results were not unfairly skewed.

The results therefore hypothetically reflect buying one of each item to determine value for money.

Results are also broken down into three age groups to help give the most accurate representation.

SAINSBURY’S – TOTAL COST: £15.00

Sainbury’s TU range was crowned the most affordable school uniform for all age groups, with a multipack of short sleeve shirts for 4-5 years coming in at just £3 and a sweet scalloped cardigan for only £6. 

ASDA – TOTAL COST: £19.75

Though pipped to first place by its competitor, Asda’s George range has reasonably priced school uniforms for primary school-age children, including V-neck jumpers and trousers for as little as £3.00. 

MATALAN – TOTAL COST: £20.50 

The next best store for value for money was clothing and homeware outlet Matalan, with practical offerings which help children feel comfortable at school while still looking polished. 

DEBENHAMS –  TOTAL COST: £25.90

Debenhams own brand of primary school clothing landed in the middle for value money, with their two pack of white short sleeve shirts costing at least £2.00 more than Sainsbury’s three for £4.00 offering.  

NEXT – TOTAL COST: £34.50  

This year’s school uniform range from fashion retailer Next boasts of easy iron shirts and stain resistant polo shirts, perfect for busy parents but for a bigger price tag. 

MARKS & SPENCER –  TOTAL COST: £36.30 

Similar to Next, Marks & Spencer promises to make its customers lives easier with easy ironing as well as being sustainably sourced. 

 JOHN LEWIS – TOTAL COST: £45.00

At priciest end of the scale, high end retailer John Lewis comes in with the least value for money school uniform, costing close to £50 for staple items. 

Andy Barr, personal finance expert and co-founder of online price tracking website www.alertr.co.uk, commented on the findings: ‘As we approach the end of the summer holidays, after a strange time for kids due to lockdown, the rush to get everything sorted for ‘back to school’ is on. 

‘Many people have a perception of Sainsbury’s that it’s more on the expensive side, but that’s certainly not what we witness at Alertr; this isn’t the first time the supermarket chain has beaten seemingly ‘cheaper’ stores like Asda in terms of price for various things.

‘Buying all the items needed for a child’s return to school for a new academic year can be expensive business, which will now be felt more than ever as parents suffer the financial impact of lockdown that has hit many people.’